'Defenders' brings together solo heroes

"Marvel's The Defenders" is set to debut on Netflix on Aug. 18, bringing together the storylines of the characters Luke Cage, Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist.

The four each have starred in their own series from Netflix previously, and much like "Marvel's the Avengers" brought together the storylines of the cinematic Marvel characters, the Netflix series is set to team together the four previously solo heroes.

"The Defenders" launched as a concept in "Marvel Feature" in 1971, teaming Doctor Strange, the Hulk and Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Others joined the so-called "non-team" over the 152-issue run, including Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, Luke Cage, Hellcat, the Gargoyle and former X-Men Iceman, Beast and Angel.

The loosely assembled team fought a variety of threats, including the mystical, and were generally considered less formal in their roster than the Avengers. That series ran through 1986. The concept was brought back with some tweaks for "Secret Defenders" in 1993-1995 with Doctor Strange choosing a new team for each mission. A few miniseries issues during the next two decades occasionally brought the team back into the spotlight.

In his 2011 revamp of the series with artist Terry Dodson, writer Matt Fraction added Iron Fist to the team of heroes.

The 2017 "Defenders" series currently available from Marvel is written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by David Marquez. It unites the street-level Marvel heroes featured in the Netflix series.

“I try to bring as much humanity and realism to (‘Defenders') as possible,” Bendis said in a press call about the series. “The escapism is much more visceral, because you feel like this is a bar you could walk into — not a crazy space station or Avengers Tower. These feel like real places, and sometimes they are real places. The characters are really reacting to each other, they're reacting to the world around them."

While Doctor Strange and the Hulk are absent from the Defenders, Marvel fans won't entirely miss the characters in 2017. Both are expected to feature in the upcoming film "Thor: Ragnarok," as is the Valkyrie, who was a frequent Defender in the pages of the comics.

The current team as seen in "The Defenders" #1. [Marvel Comics] The original Defenders first appeared as a team in "Marvel Feature" #1. [Marvel Comics] Charlie Cox, Mike Colter, Krysten Ritter and Finn Jones star in "Marvel's The Defenders." [Netflix]

Matthew Price

Features Editor Matthew Price has worked for The Oklahoman since 2000. He’s a University of Oklahoma graduate who has also worked at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and was a Dow Jones Newspaper Fund intern for the Dallas Morning News. He’s...
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